Best POS Systems for Restaurants

Ranked by our scoring

1. #1 Square · 8.3/10

   Published pricing

   • Free $0/mo, Plus $49/mo, Premium $149/mo per location
   • In person 2.6% + 15¢ (Free), 2.5% + 15¢ (Plus), 2.4% + 15¢ (Premium)
   • Hardware "starting at $59"
   • Square KDS app $30/mo per device on Plus ($20/mo on Premium)

   Verified on the provider's page

   • Software or plan prices are published. Plans at $0, $49 and $149 per location per month.
   • Card processing rates are published. In-person and online rates are listed for each plan.
   • Hardware prices are published. "Square Hardware ... options starting at $59".
   • Amounts for extra fees (add-ons, inactivity, instant payout) are published. "$30/mo. for the Square KDS app per device" and kiosk app prices are listed.
   • Menu management or floor plans. "Restaurant operations" is listed among Square features.
   • Online ordering or an online store. "% + 30¢ What you get POS app for any payment Online site Item library Invoicing Booking Checking and savings accounts Square Plus B"
   • Staff, scheduling or labor tools. "rds program Email and text message marketing Staff management Square Premium Our most advanced capabilities backed by 24/7 support. Buil"
   • Reporting or analytics. "n Square Plus 24/7 priority support Advanced reporting Lowest processing fees More text message marketing No gift card load fees"
   • Offline mode. "s Active fraud prevention Next day transfers Offline payments6 More solutions from Square Square Payroll Run full-service payro"
   • Integrated card payments. "e a payment. $0/mo. per location Get started Processing fees Tap, dip, or swipe 2.6% + 15¢ Online 3.3% + 30¢ What you get POS app for a"
   • No long-term contract is stated. "e from value-packed plans. No hidden fees or locked-in contracts. Cancel or switch anytime. Tell us about your business and we'll show you"
   • A free plan, free trial or $0 starting price exists. "ales PRICING Your complete business toolkit, starting at $0 Tell us about your business and we'll show you the pricing features for ho"
   • Hardware can be bought outright or subscribed to. "Square Hardware ... options starting at $59" and a "Rent Hardware" link are listed.
   • 24/7 support is stated. "ium Our most advanced capabilities backed by 24/7 support. Built to streamline operations and help you scale with confidence"
   • A phone number is published on the page. "es Rent Hardware Contact Customer support: 1 (855) 700-6000 Sales: 1 (833) 959-5325 Square About Press & Media Careers Referrals Partn"
   Score breakdown: Overall score 8.3/10

   Category	Weight	Score	Evidence
   Pricing transparency	30%	10/10	4 of 4 checks
   Total cost for a typical small business	25%	3.2/10	$338.75 → 3.2
   Features	20%	10/10	6 of 6 checks
   Contract and fee fairness	15%	10/10	3 of 3 checks
   Support and reputation signals	10%	10/10	2 of 2 checks

   Cost input: Modeled total monthly cost, averaged over two sample businesses: (A) $10,000/month in card sales at a $40 average sale, in person; (B) $10,000/month at a $60 average sale, online. For each: cheapest published plan or bundle fee + (percent × sales + fixed fee × number of sales), using verified rates only: $338.75

2. #2 Clover · 5.6/10

   Published pricing

   • Starter $135/mo for 36 months or $849 + $89.95/mo
   • Standard $185/mo for 36 months or $1,899 + $89.95/mo
   • Advanced $245/mo for 36 months or $2,648 + $109.90/mo
   • Card tapped, swiped or inserted 2.3% + 10¢; typed in 3.5% + 10¢

   Verified on the provider's page

   • Software or plan prices are published. Bundle prices listed for Starter, Standard and Advanced.
   • Card processing rates are published. "Card tapped, swiped, or inserted 2.3% + 10¢; typed in 3.5% + 10¢".
   • Hardware prices are published. Hardware purchase prices ($849, $1,899, $2,648) are listed.
   • Amounts for extra fees (add-ons, inactivity, instant payout) are published. Rapid Deposit 1.75% fee is listed.
   • Online ordering or an online store. "e busting Not Included Not Included Included Online ordering Clover online menu page No-fee online ordering Pick-up and delivery order"
   • Staff, scheduling or labor tools. "l or digital) Not Included Included Included Employees Individual logins and permissions Shift management Included Included Incl"
   • Reporting or analytics. "ions Included Included Included Tracking and reporting Real-time sales tracking Detailed sales reports Tax reporting Cost trackin"
   • Integrated card payments. "ER STANDARD ADVANCED Take orders quickly and accept payments easily with a powerful POS + compact device and run your business efficien"
   • A free plan, free trial or $0 starting price exists. "al ends. A merchant is eligible for only one free trial during their lifecycle. Limit one offer per business tax ID. Eligibility i"
   • Hardware can be bought outright or subscribed to. "NLY OFFER:Get $450 statement credit when you buy Station, Mini or Flex* Restaurants Services Retail Healthcare Products Res"

   Not found on the provider's page

   No points are given for anything we could not find published. This does not mean the provider lacks it.

   • Menu management or floor plans. Menu management or floor plans not described in the pricing page text we read.
   • Offline mode. Not found on the page text we read.
   • No long-term contract is stated. Not found on the page text we read.
   • 24/7 support is stated. Not found on the page text we read.
   • A phone number is published on the page. Not found on the page text we read.
   Score breakdown: Overall score 5.6/10

   Category	Weight	Score	Evidence
   Pricing transparency	30%	10/10	4 of 4 checks
   Total cost for a typical small business	25%	1.1/10	$445.84 → 1.1
   Features	20%	6.7/10	4 of 6 checks
   Contract and fee fairness	15%	6.7/10	2 of 3 checks
   Support and reputation signals	10%	0/10	0 of 2 checks

   Cost input: Modeled total monthly cost, averaged over two sample businesses: (A) $10,000/month in card sales at a $40 average sale, in person; (B) $10,000/month at a $60 average sale, online. For each: cheapest published plan or bundle fee + (percent × sales + fixed fee × number of sales), using verified rates only: $445.84

   Visit Clover

Side-by-side checklist

Not scored

We could not verify enough of these providers' published pricing today, so we do not score or rank them.

• Toast

  Toast publishes a software starting price but no processing rates, so we cannot model either sample business.

  Published pricing

  • Point of Sale: starting at $69/month
  • Starter Kit: "Starting at $0 /month" is a hardware offer; software and processing fees apply
  • Payroll bundle: starting at $69/month + $9 per employee/month
  • Build Your Own: custom pricing

• Lightspeed Restaurant

  Lightspeed shows restaurant payments as "Default" or "Custom" with no rates, so we cannot model either sample business.

  Published pricing

  • Starter $69/mo, Essential $189/mo, Premium $399/mo (USD)
  • Integrated payments listed as "Default" on Starter and "Custom" on Essential and Premium

The checklist behind the scores

Related tools and guides

• Best
• Toast vs Square
• Clover vs Toast
• Best POS for small business
• Clover fees explained